The Incredible Shrinking Energy Bill
The News Review:
- The Incredible Shrinking Energy Bill
- A miracle for Christmas
- Out of South Africa
- Theatre audiences deserve the next Ravenhill and Kane
- Wales firm hits the top
The Incredible Shrinking Energy Bill
Forbes – Dec 13, 2007
But in order to bring the bill to a vote, Democrats were forced to drop a provision that required utilities to obtain at least 15% of their electricity from renewable resources, such as wind and solar power. These industries have now suffered another blow because the production tax credit for wind and the investment tax credit for solar, which both expire at the end of 2008, still don’t have the funding to extend them. “Today’s vote is out of step with Americans across the political spectrum who overwhelmingly support clean, home-grown renewable energy,” said Greg Wetstone, the top lobbyist for the American Wind Energy Association, in a statement Thursday. Senate leaders are now scrambling to work out a deal to pass some sort of energy bill before the end of the year. One thing is certain: It can’t raise taxes on oil companies like BP (nyse:.
A miracle for Christmas
The Independent – Independent – Dec 13, 2007
At the heart of his plans was a library. “I wanted to offer these children what I could not get,” he said. It was the imagination and ambition of his home-grown charity that caught the eye of other NGOs. And when Monica Quince, the wife of the EU’s head of delegation in Nairobi, and a colleague, Alex Walford, took an interest in his projects, they provided not only resources but the vital advice that led to Mr Gitau’s Manchester adventure. Following the donation of portable containers to house Mr Gitau’s projects, he and Mr Walford became friends. A few months later, during a chat with Mr Walford about his aspirations, Mr Gitau began to tell him about the course of his dreams. He wanted to show him the prospectus, but when Mr Gitau couldn’t find it, he simply told him “Manchester”, and “IDPM”.
Out of South Africa
Times Picayune – Dec 13, 2007
Unlike New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Argentinian Malbec,Australian Shiraz or Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon,Pinotage is not merely a European grape transplanted to anew hemisphere. Pinotage could establish South Africa not only as a majorwinegrowing region but also as a region with a home-grownidentity. If only the grape could make good wineconsistently.
Theatre audiences deserve the next Ravenhill and Kane
Guardian Unlimited – Dec 13, 2007
At a theatre conference held at the weekend (How Was It For Us? British Theatre under Blair), National Theatre director Nick Hytner and Peter Boyden were among those who argued against a simplistic text v non-text approach. However, the troubled Bristol Old Vic, prematurely closed for refurbishment, is negotiating its long-term future with the Arts Council. The front-running plan is for the theatre to be run not by an artistic director producing home-grown plays, but an executive director programming a mixed repertoire, over half of which would be brought in from outside. The character of the repertoire was hinted at when a meeting of the umbrella group Theatre Bristol (attended by the theatre’s acting chief executive and the Arts Council) proposed that there should no longer be “a particular emphasis on narrative theatre”. For almost all of its history, theatre has been made from texts telling stories. So why does the Arts Council want to prioritise non-text-based theatre doing something else? There is (as yet) no statistical evidence that non-narrative, performance-based devised work is increasing in the repertoire (or proving a particular box-office success). The evidence for an upsurge is largely anecdotal and on the supply side: lots of young people are coming out of university drama departments wanting to do it.
Wales firm hits the top
News Wales – Dec 13, 2007
First Minister Rhodri Morgan roday congratulated the group on breaking into the FTSE 100 Index of top British companies for the first time and said:
“The Admiral Group is believed to be only the second Welsh-headquartered company to be in the Index since its inception in 1984, and the first with its main operations in Wales. This is a fantastic achievement for a company that was only established in Cardiff just 14 years ago. ‘This is a real home-grown success story and proves that businesses in Wales really have the ‘can-do’ attitude to succeed and to believe that the sky’s the limit. “Admiral has grown not through takeovers but by pure organic growth. It has succeeded thanks to skilful management, a committed workforce and by providing customers with the service they want. Their achievement proves that start-up companies in Wales really can reach the highest levels in the UK business community. The Admiral Group is one of the great Welsh success stories of the last decade, and today’s news is further proof of this company’s dynamic and forward-looking strategy.